May 4, 2010
• Jack Schultz Video Feature 
PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- The Big Ten Conference announced today (Tuesday, May 4) that University of Michigan freshman Jack Schultz (Whitefish Bay, Wis./Whitefish Bay) of the men's golf team was the unanimous selection as the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year, while sophomore Matt Thompson (Battle Creek, Mich./Lakeview) and junior Lion Kim (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary Prep School) were All-Big Ten second team selections. Thompson was also named the Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree for U-M.
Schultz becomes only the second U-M player to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, following Andy Matthews' (1999-2002) selection in 1999. In his first season in Ann Arbor, Schultz started all 11 events and is currently on pace to set the freshman scoring average record with a 73.47 per round average. He has shot 10 of his 30 rounds at-or-below par this season, including a career-best and U-M season-best, six-under 66 shot in the first round of the 2009 Bridgestone Intercollegiate (Oct. 24-25).
Schultz was named to the all-tournament team at the Big Ten Match Play Championships after posting a 2-0-1 record. During the season he posted three top-10 individual finishes with one among the top five, following his fifth-place finish at the 2010 Big Ten Championships (April 30-May 2), which earned him all-tournament honors.
In addition, Schultz's fifth-place finish at Big Tens marked the highest-ever finish by a U-M freshman and his total of 287 (69-73-71-74) set the U-M freshman 72-hole scoring record, topping the 290 (75-72-75-68) tally by Matthews at the 1999 championship.
Thompson continued where he left off from his strong freshman season, starting all 11 events this year and closing as the top Wolverine in five tournaments. He leads U-M with a 72.30 scoring average, which is on pace to set the U-M sophomore scoring record and make him only the third U-M player ever to finish a season scoring below 73.
He has collected five top-10 finishes with three of those being in the top-five, including the medalist runner-up finish at the 2010 Big Ten Championships, tallying U-M's second best 72-hole total of all-time with a one-under 283 (73-69-68-73). For his efforts he was named to the Big Ten's all-tournament team.
Thompson also tied for the runner-up spot at the 2009 Wolverine at Radrick Farms with a nine-under 209, helping U-M take the team title. Thompson's third-place showing in the season-opening 2009 Wolf Run Intercollegiate yielded a career-best eight-under 205 54-hole tournament total, which ranks as the second best in U-M history.
Kim started all 12 of his events this season, playing in an extra event at the Western Refining All-American Golf Classic in November. He is carrying a 72.39 scoring average, which is on pace to set the U-M junior season record and mark the second straight season he has averaged below 73. Kim has finished as the top Wolverine in six of 12 events, with a career-best tie for second at the 2009 Wolverine at Radrick Farm after shooting a career-best, nine-under 207 54-hole tournament.
Michigan will have to wait to find out if it will be selected for its third straight NCAA at-large berth when regional selections are announced Monday (May 10) at 6 p.m. There are a total of six regional sites playing Thursday through Saturday, May 20-22, with 18 holes each day of the 54-hole event.
The six regional sites for 2010 include: Georgia Tech hosting at Capital City Club (Alpharetta, Ga.), Notre Dame hosting at Warren Golf Course (South Bend, Ind.), San Diego State hosting at Carlton Oaks Golf Course (San Diego, Calif.), Texas A&M hosting at the Traditions Club (College Station, Texas), Washington hosting at Gold Mountain Golf Club (Bremerton, Wash.) and Yale hosting at Yale University Golf Course (New Haven, Conn.).
The top five teams and low individual not on a qualifying team from each regional will advance to the NCAA Championships, to be held Wednesday through Saturday, June 1-5, at The Honors Course in Chattanooga, Tenn.
2010 Big Ten Conference Men's Golf Postseason Awards
All-Big Ten First Team
Scott Langley, Illinois
Chris DeForest, Illinois
Luke Guthrie, Illinois
Ben Pisani, Minnesota
David Lipsky, Northwestern
Kevin Foley, Penn State
All-Big Ten Second Team
Zach Barlow, Illinois
Alex Martin, Indiana
Lion Kim, Michigan
Matt Thompson, Michigan
Jack Newman, Michigan State
Erich Johnston, Purdue
Big Ten Player of the Year
Scott Langley, Illinois
Big Ten Freshman of the Year
Jack Schultz, Michigan #
Big Ten Coach of the Year
Mike Small, Illinois
Big Ten Sportsmanship Honorees
Matt Hoffman, Illinois
Brant Peaper, Indiana
Chris Brant, Iowa
Matt Thompson, Michigan
Jack Newman, Michigan State
Ben Pisani, Minnesota
Jonathan Bowers, Northwestern
Brad Wright, Ohio State
Kevin Foley, Penn State
Erich Johnston, Purdue
Thomas Welk, Wisconsin
# Unanimous selection
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
